Alice Springs, NT – gems, gorges, gaps and a granny (flat)

As we mentioned in a previous post, one of Kat’s good friends in Sydney has a sister who lives in Alice Springs with her family, and after getting in touch with her we had an offer of being able to stay in their granny flat while we were in Alice Springs. After living out of a camper trailer for the last 6 weeks we were more than happy to take Alex & Rohan (and their three kids) up on their offer. Having space to unpack a few things and spread out for a week was wonderful and allowed us to really recharge our batteries. It was also a great base from which to explore the surrounds, and we enjoyed a few day trips mixed in with lazy days just hanging out in Alice Springs.

The first couple of days we caught up on washing and a few other admin tasks and all enjoyed not really doing much at all. Oli and Em had fun setting up their own blog pages where they can put their own comments and their friends can write messages for them to reply to.

The kids all got on really well together and had a ball playing on all the fun things in their front yard. Having heard great things about the Desert Park we headed out there on day three. It was a really well set up park which showcased the various ecosystems, animals and plants of the desert and we spent the whole morning exploring and listening to talks about the animals and about aboriginal culture. The morning highlight was visiting the nocturnal house, after which Oli decided he wanted a ghost bat as a pet and Em wanted a bilby. After heading home for lunch and a chill, we headed back out to explore some more and then watch the bird show which was awesome. We watched lots of different birds including magpies, owls, falcons and kites flying around catching food to the backdrop of the spectacular West Macdonnell Ranges. They flew right over our heads in the amphitheatre which the kids loved. It was definitely the highlight of the day, but by the end of that the kids were ready to head home for a play with the other kids.

The next day we headed out to the West Macdonnell Ranges. The first stop was Ormiston Gorge, a spectacular formation, with towering red rock walls shadowing the gorge below. After climbing the short walk to the lookout, we enjoyed the views up the gorge as well as down to the waterhole below. It looked very inviting, with a small sandy beach lining the water on both sides. Being a hot day, we were keen to check it out and have a swim, even though these waterholes are notoriously cold all year round. Stu and Em braved the water after the kids practiced their rock skimming, then the kids found some rocks to scramble up and climb all over. They then settled into some great creative play running a bakery and making lollipops, chocolate balls and other delicious treats from the mud of the riverside that we enjoyed sampling once they were ready.

After a quick stop at the ochre pits to see the rainbow of colours in the naturally occurring rock wall, ranging from whites, through to yellows, oranges and deep reds, we headed to Ellery Creek Big Hole. This was another picturesque waterhole in a gorge, but the mass of dead fish floating along the waters edge put us off going for another swim. Oli and Em had a brief reunion with a boy they had played with at Erldunda, then we headed back to Alice, where all the kids made their own ‘waterhole’ at the bottom of the slide in the sand pit and had a great time getting dirty.

The next morning we headed out to Emily Gap (for obvious reasons) which was only about 10km out of town. It turned out to be yet another impressive sight and after a bit of an explore we headed back to town to do a bit of shopping. The kids all played back at the house for most of the afternoon, before we headed to a local park for an early takeaway dinner with Alex & Rohan and a few of their mates.

We got up early the next day to head off in search of Oli’s birthstone. Having found Emily’s in Coober Pedy (the opal), Oli was keen to track down some garnet, and there was a gem fossicking campground about 1.5 hours north of Alice that we were hoping could deliver. We headed out there and had great fun fossicking. They provided the sieves and bucket of dirt from their gem fields, and after a bit of guidance on how to find the garnets, we were busy sieving the dirt out, then washing the remaining rocks, before holding the sieve up to the sunlight to look for the telltale deep red colour of the garnet. Unfortunately Oli started to feel a bit sick in the middle of the fossick, but not before we had all found some great garnets, including three that we could cut into 3-4mm gems if we wanted to at some point in the future.

As we hopped in the car and headed back to Alice, Em wasn’t feeling so good either. Once we got back the kids had a quiet afternoon and both managed a sleep. Oli got up a bit later for some dinner with us, and even got to stay up later than normal to watch a David Attenborough doco about bats which he loved. Em, on the other hand, decided that sleeping on the floor would be much more comfortable that her bed, and passed out around 3pm. We later transferred her to bed and she didn’t resurface until the next morning. Fortunately they had both recovered by the next day so we headed into town to check out the Sunday markets in the main mall. We enjoyed a coffee and a stroll down the mall but no one found anything they wanted to buy, so we headed back to the granny flat to clean up and pack up as we were heading off the next morning. Kat had a ball borrowing Alex’s sewing machine to whip up a canvas cover for the camp oven. It turned out really well and was a great upgrade to the previous cover which was a plastic bag.

That night we fed all the kids together and then sent them off to bed so the adults could have a final night together. Kat cooked a delicious fish curry, and we enjoyed that with some wine, lots of laughs and great conversation. Our time in Alice was awesome, thanks in no small part to the wonderful Alex and Rohan, and their kids. They made us feel so welcome and relaxed, we weren’t sure if we would ever leave, but the road was once again calling us. Thanks heaps guys, and we hope to see you again some time.